Heres some advice....take it or leave it.
If your serious about skating buy quality items NOW.
Full leather boots.
Roll line plates.
Scotties wheels.
Dont cheap out...If your serious you will only go that way eventually.
Now im not sayin it will make you a better skater.....
Ask your derby mates...what they are on.

So one advises getting great skates from the get-go and another suggests low price skates, such is life, skating is a life long activity, if you enjoy skating, getting great skates is the way to go, if youíre simply joining a friend to play roller derby, get the cheap skates, roller derby is going to injure you, and you have to want to skate to get back on skates after suffering a serious injury, or, if you arenít joining a friend, you are skating on your own, get the great skates, learn how to skate, then join roller derby, you wonít get injured, well, not because of skating ability at least.

What is your current skill level?
What is your budget?
Are you willing to upgrade in 6 months? 1 year?

I agree you need quality equipment. But you also need to to know the correct boot size, boot shape, wheel hardness, wheel size, turning comfort, cushion setup.
Some of these you can learn from a cheaper or used skate.

So one advises getting great skates from the get-go and another suggests low price skates, such is life, skating is a life long activity, if you enjoy skating, getting great skates is the way to go, if youíre simply joining a friend to play roller derby, get the cheap skates, roller derby is going to injure you, and you have to want to skate to get back on skates after suffering a serious injury, or, if you arenít joining a friend, you are skating on your own, get the great skates, learn how to skate, then join roller derby, you wonít get injured, well, not because of skating ability at least.

Well said. Iíve taught a few people to skate that weíre going join a derby team to learn to skate. I advised them that if they started derby they would never learn to skate. They would learn how to get knocked over and how to derby skate.
They are still skating without the injuries and have accomplished more in respect of actual skating ability

Well said. Iíve taught a few people to skate that weíre going join a derby team to learn to skate. I advised them that if they started derby they would never learn to skate. They would learn how to get knocked over and how to derby skate.
They are still skating without the injuries and have accomplished more in respect of actual skating ability